“大爷拍的素颜巴黎火了”上热搜，网友：法国文旅一年白干

A series of straightforward, unedited photos of Paris taken by a Chinese pensioner during his vacation have sparked widespread amusement across Chinese social media this week. Shared without filters or retouching, the images present a candid view of the French capital, leading netizens to jokingly compare the Eiffel Tower to a "power line pylon" and the Seine River to a "ditch back home". The relevant trending hashtag has captured significant online attention.

pensioner /ˈpenʃənər/ n. 领取养老金（或退休金、抚恤金）的人

retouch /ˌriːˈtʌtʃ/ v. 润饰，修整（图画、照片等）

The photos were met with a wave of humorous comments, such as, "This is an excellent cure for my travel desires," and "When Grandpa takes photos, he shows no mercy". Many remarked that the unvarnished snapshots effectively "cured their Paris Syndrome".

unvarnished /ˌʌnˈvɑːrnɪʃt/ adj. 未涂漆的；无装饰的；无掩饰的

On Wednesday, the tourist, surnamed Zhang, addressed his unexpected fame, expressing surprise at the photos' sudden virality. He clarified that the pictures were taken in late October during a group tour, but only gained massive traction around the New Year. "I really don't have any special feelings about it," Zhang said. "I was just there, so I asked someone from the tour to quickly take a few photos for me. I didn't bother with angles or lighting and posted them right away. I don't know how to use beauty filters or editing apps — what you see is exactly what was taken."

According to Cover News, Zhang and a representative from the travel agency held a livestream later on Wednesday. They emphasized that Paris is indeed beautiful, but explained that the photos were taken on a rainy day, and Zhang, as an older traveler, did not focus on advanced composition or post-processing techniques.